Question

This U.S. Supreme Court decision gave parolees some protection against arbitrary and capricious revocation of parole.

Answer 1

The Washington Vs. Massachusetts decision: Parole Bd., 54 Mass.App.Ct. 1114 (2002), gave protections in regard to parole revocation proceedings. Parolees are entitled to a written notice of the alleged violations of parole, disclosure of the evidence against them, the right to speak before the court and present witnesses and documentary evidence at a court hearing, and the right to cross-examine witnesses. In case, these rights of the parolee are not met in the course of parole evocation proceedings, then the Parole Board’s decisions may also be challenged as arbitrary, capricious or based on an error of law through certiorari review.